Originally published on September 4, 2010 – this post deserves a reissue. I think the question of perspective vs perception is getting more important than ever. The line is blurred more so than ever. I will write more on that in the next few weeks, but as a refresher I thought this was worth repeating.
They say attitude is everything. I disagree, I think perspective is everything. Perspective determines attitude. How
you look at life is based on your personal perspective, which then in turn leads you to your attitude about life. This can be applied to all things I believe.
Let’s take the “Glass Half-Full/Half-Empty” debate as an example. They say if you side with “half-full” you are an optimist, with “half-empty” you are a pessimist. What if you looked at it this way “I can always add more if I need it.” Where does that leave you?
I am a realist, always have been always will be. My motto is “Hope for the best but expect the worst, then you are never disappointed.” That’s my perspective on life. Maybe it was my training while attending an Art college, always looking at different perspectives and angles that tainted how I view life. I see the shadows, vanishing points and contrast that might not be visible to someone else (linear perspective). It effects all aspects of my life.
People often say you should “look to the past to gain a better perspective on the future”. What does that do? It helps you improve and grow, as an individual and as a species. I look at the past and find the lessons that will benefit the future. I say it is all about perspective, even when it comes to how we use perspective. You perspective is set in life generally in your youth, how you see things and interpret things. How thin-skinned you are or how thick-skinned will also influence your perspective. It is how you respond to others or acts, as well as how you choose to treat others and the ways you choose to act.
But this is all just based on my perspective. What’s yours?